Convertible side-door opening for railway cars



c. ELLIS 1,751 CONVERTIBLE SIDE DOOR OPENING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb; 1, 1929 :5 Sheets- Sheet March 25, 1930 (8y Gimmes Jifgu s,

Woman;

Maire]: 25; 1930. c. 1; ELLIS 1,751,802

CONVERTIBLE SIDE DOOR OPENING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb. 1, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I JWM V w OHARLESLZ-ELLIS,

C. J. ELLIS March 25, I930.

CONVERTIBLE SIDE DOOR OPENING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Feb. 1, 1929 5 Sheets$heet 3 W IIIIIIIIIIIIFF FIII l J M IJW Patented Mar. 25, 1930 CHARLES J. ELLIS, or CINCINNATI, OHIO,

ASSIGNOR 1 0 THE CINCINNATI CAR con- ]?ORATION, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO CONVERTIBLE SIDE-DOOR OPENING FOR RAILIVAY CARS Application filed February 1, 1929. Serial No. 336,814.

This invention relates to convertible side door openings for street cars, and more particularly to exit doors.

The object of this invention is to provide a doorway that may be converted from a single doorway to a double doorway, or from a double to a single doorway. It is particularly the object of this invention to convert a doorway of a two-man car into an exit doorway for a one-man car, or back from a oneman car to a two-man car.

' A further object of this invention is particularly to construct a variable doorway used in connection with sliding doors adapted to close both a normal doorway, and one that,

has been enlarged. I

A further object of this invention is to provide a doorway of this kind which is limited or restricted by placing a panel or sash within the doorway so that the doorway is restricted; it is also an object of this invention to provide a slidable door and a nesting means for said door which may be operated both to close the full doorway or the restricted doorway formed from the full doorway.

While it is particularly the object of this invention to provide in connection with a variable doorway, a slidable door that is adapted to close doorways of this kind, yet

it is not the purpose of applicant in applying this invention to use to be restricted to the use of slidable doors alone. For the purpose of illustration, there is shown the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a sectional plan view of the rear end-of a street car with a removable panel attached to the exit door thereof.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of that part of the side of the car to which the removed panel is attached.

Figure 3 is a side view of the lower part of the panel and the step to which the panel is attached.

Figure 4 is a section through the post and part of the panel showing the means by which p the post is attached to the panel.

The numeral 1 is used to designate the rear end of the car as a whole, which, as shown in Figure 1,has the two usual doorways and i 7 doors found in cars of this type.

Usually the exit doorways of street cars are double in their nature, one part being used for the entrance ofpassengers, while the other part is used forthe exit of passengers. The full door space in this instance is controlled by one single'door, and operated by a single means, and this is the form of car which is generally used when the car is operated by two persons, but in the event it is necessarythat the car be used for operation by one person, it becomes necessary to restrict the doorway so as to provide merely for the exit of passengers. To accomplish this=adjustment in the size of the doorway, a panel is inserted in one side of the doorway, thereby restricting andvarying the size of the doorway.

The doorway as a whole is indicated by the numeral 2, while the removable panel is indicated by the numeral l, the numeral 3 being used to designate the usual hand rail found in cars where'there are entrances and exits at the same doorway. i I

The removable post forming part of the removable panel is indicated by the-numeral This post is attached to the panel part by means of screws indicated bythe numeral 6, and fully illustrated in Figure 4.. They point at which the panel-is attached to the permanent side of the doorway of the car is indicated by the numeral 7. Themeans of attachment is the same as that found between the door post and the adjacent and cooperating part of the door for the doorway. However, any suitable modification might be used to make the connection between the panel and the post secure during the timc the panel is used. The lowerparts of the panel and posts are attached to the step 8 of the car. or to the platform floor if folding steps are used, by meansof an angle'iron indicated by the numeral 9, and bolts 10, passing through the one part of the angle iron and steps, and the other part of the angle iron and panel and On the body of the car, just above the pas sage way, there is a ledge indicated by the numeral 11, which is adapted to support and the panel and post.

1a is engaged over the. upper part of the run way 13, and fits within the groove formed by the run way and the body of metal strip. In order also to more securely support the upper end of the door, a beam-indicated by the numeral 15, extends across the upper end of the panel and rests upon the ledge 11 so that added support is given the upper end of the panel.

This structural relation between the panel and the parts of thecar engaged thereby is such that the panel is held firmly attached to the car, but may be easily removed by merely taking the bolts 10 out of the steps or platform floor of the car, and swingin the lower end of the panel inward so that t 1e parts 13 and 14 may be disengaged. F or the purpose of permitting this swinging movement of the panel, there is provided a space between the extreme upper part-otthepanel, and the body of the car, as is shown 111 Figure 2.

The panel may be constructed in any suitable manner; it may be wholly of.wood,.or the lower part may be wood and the upper part glass, as is usually the case in panels of this kind, or metal with or without glass.

For the purpose of closing the doorway when in its restricted or its enlarged condition, there are provided door sections which as a whole are indicatedby the numeral 16, and the sections, or panels, of the door are indicated by the letters a, b, and 0.' Each panel of the door is connected to'another panel by means'of some hinge structure 17 that permits a slight swinging movement between the sections of the door, so the door may conform itself tothe part of the-car to be engaged-thereby, when in closed position.

For. the purpose of receiving the door when not in use and when the doorway is open, there is provided a'pocket in the side of the car adjacent the door, into which the door is moved for the purpose of opening the doorway. This pocket isindicated by the numeral 18, as is clearly shown in Figure 1.

The door may be shifted from a closed toan open position, or from the open to a closed position by means or" a door motor usually found in cars of this type, and used for this purpose. The motor is adapted to operate the door for both its limited and its fullmovement. This is accomplished by means of certain adjustment so that the extent of the movement of the motor is regulated so that it is adjusted to the extent of the movement of the door, for the purpose of closing and opening the passage way into the car whether the panel is in place in the doorway or is removed. 7 p r I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications as may be clearly embraced within my claims and the scope of my invention. 1 l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway car having a doorway, a panel adapted to be placed in said doorway to restrict it, and means for removably attaching said panel to the car to restrict said doorway. a

2. In a railway car havinga door receiving pocket and a full doorway, a. panel in said doorway to restrictsaid full doorway to a normal doorway, and a door adapted to close either of said doorways.

3. In a railway car having a doorway, a panel adapted to be attached to said car to restrict the doorway, and a door slidably supported by said car and adapted to close said doorway whether restricted or unrestricted,

4. In a railway car having a doorway, a panel adapted to be attached to restrict the doorway, and a door supported bysaid car and adapted to'clo'se said doorway whether restricted or unrestricted.

V 5. In a railway car having a doorway, apanel adapted to be placed in said doorway to restrict it, hook means to support one end of the panel by the car, and additional means to support the other end of the panel by'the car.

6. In a railway car having a doorway and a step,-.a panel adapted to' be placed in said doorway to restrict it, and means for removably attaching said panel to the step of the car.

'4'. In a railway car having a doorwayand a step, a panel adapted to be placed in said doorw yto restrict it, means for suspending the panelon the car, and means for removably attaching one end ofsaid panel to the car step. I

8. In a railway car having a doorway and step, a panel adapted to be attached to the car and detachably supported by said step to restrict the doorway, and a. door adapted to close said doorway, restricted or unrestricted.

9. In a railway car having a variable doorway and a pocket, a door adapted to close said doorway in any of its conditions of variation when in a closed or partially closed position and be .housed in said pocket when in another position. I

10. In a' railway car having a doorway and a pocket, a panel adapted to fit within said doorway to vary the size thereof, and a door said car to adapted to close said doorway in its restricted or in its unrestricted condition, and adapted to be housed within said pocket for the purpose of opening the doorway.

11.'The combination with a railway car having a doorway and a pocket therein, of a panel attached at each end to said car in said doorway to restrict it, and door means to close said doorway with or without said panel and adapted to be received into said pocket when the doorway is open.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

CHARLES J. ELLIS. 

